Spotify

Music Magnet by Spotify:Discovering the music that’s all around us

PROJECT BACKGROUND Spotify had been working on a new product designed for small business owners and their staff (in local cafes, restaurants, boutiques, etc), enabling them to better organize and schedule their music playlists. Their theory was that by selecting and tailoring their music this product could not only help them in daily workflow but also become an extension of the business' brand identity itself.

CHALLENGE How can Spotify help small businesses create an experience and brand themselves through the music they play?

RESEARCHWe conducted interviews on both the staff and customer side in various places to test actual engagement with the music being played. What we found was actually contrary to Spotify's assumption.

- In many places, the staff found that it was easier to have one long playlist playing in the background as they were busy doing other daily tasks- Customers in cafes were often too focused on work or chatting with friends to really notice music unless it was very loud or very bad- Both staff and customers were skeptical about interaction with the music (opening up a Pandora's box of conflicting music tastes and genres)

INSIGHTWhile we know music is an important factor to most people, if they don't notice it it cannot become a defining element in a brand's identity. So we changed the brief to instead call attention to the music playing around you and put a business' music taste in the spotlight.

SOLUTION Spotify's Music Magnet is an app that collects every song that's playing around you, whether you hear it or not, from the places you visit throughout your day. Songs are kept in an archive that you can use to later create unique playlists from. By using any combination of filters such as time, place, and location, you can get as creative with your playlists as you want to!

Music Magnet also stores the information on where and when you collected a song, so you can always go back to follow the brands you love and get inspired by the music in all the places you visit.